The Very Long Day
by Phx
Summary: Sequel to 'No Virgins Among Us'. After lunch, the boys go to the aquarium. What could possibly go wrong? WeeTracys.


_Thank you for such a warm welcome to the fandom. Your response has been heart-warming. This is a sequel to "No Virgins Among Us" but you don't need to read that one to understand what is going on in this one. Anyway, this is another weeTracy story. I do intend to write multi-chapter Thunderbird stories but this is the best way I know to get to know the characters and establish the family dynamics, so I'll spend some time with the boys before I work with the men :) I hope you enjoy the story._

_Thank you to Red for the quick beta. Any mistakes are mine. She is awesome. And again, thank you Kyriebess for the introduction to this fandom._

_A/N - If Alan seems young for his age, he is. In this series of stories, he has just turned 9 and as the youngest of five, with Scott so much older, he has been very sheltered and protected all his life. He is still a very bright kid, just not worldly in certain things. I hope you don't find it too distracting._

**The Very Long Day**

_"Stunned, Scott could only stare after his departing brothers, something telling him that this was going to be a very long day... and an hour later when Alan proudly announced to their father, in front of a roomful of Tracy Enterprises employees, that he wasn't a virgin either because he had four brothers who loved him, Scott knew he was right." - No Virgins Among Us_

"You are an idiot." 14-year-old Gordon Tracy pronounced loudly as he stared down at his younger brother.

9-year-old Alan glared back. "Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Am – oh why do I even bother?" The red-head huffed as he rubbed his bare arms. The skin already goose-pimply although it had only been ten minutes since he and Alan had gotten themselves locked in a large walk-in freezer at the New York Aquarium. Well, actually Alan had gotten them locked in, which brought Gordon back to their present problem. "Why did you take my shoe out of the door?"

"'Cause I didn't want your foot to get cold!" the younger boy snapped. "You could catch a cold and then Virgil will be even more mad at us!"

"Cold feet can't make you catch colds," the older Tracy grumbled, rolling his eyes at the ludicrousness. "_And_ I was using the shoe to keep the door open, genius. Now we're stuck in here, and if you think Virgil would be angry about a cold, you can bet he's going to be really pissed off if we freeze to death!"

Alan's blue eyes widened in fright, his own bare arms wrapped around his body in an effort to get warm. "Are- are we really gonna d-die?" he stammered out and Gordon sighed. He hadn't meant to scare the kid. Sometimes he forgot how young nine was.

"No, Al, we're not." When the younger boy didn't look convinced he added cheerfully, "Do you really think Scott is going to let you freeze to death?"

The child gave that serious consideration and then shook his head. "Of course not. He'll save me." He pursed his mouth in scowl and added, "Not so sure about you though. He's not going to be too happy when he finds us."

Gordon frowned as he looked around the freezer for another way out. The heavy door had closed behind them and locked, and after lots of furious pounding that ended up as bruised hands and sore throats, the water-crazy teen knew they weren't getting out on their own.

"I never told you to follow me," he defended and that part was true, even if he was the one who'd offered to take Alan to the other side of a large shark tank so the younger boy could get a better look while the other guys went to get snacks. It took a lot of food to keep a Tracy fuelled.

The brothers were spending the afternoon together while their father finished up with a convention he was hosting at the New York offices of Tracy Enterprises. After an eventful morning for Virgil and Alan, the brothers had drawn straws over what to do for the afternoon. Alan wanted to go to the zoo, Gordon the aquarium and through a sleight of hand, Gordon won. He'd never admit he cheated although now, two hours later, he was wondering if being trapped in a freezer was his punishment for being sneaky. With his luck, only Alan would freeze to death and he'd be left to face the wrath of his family. Instantly he was horrified at the selfishness of his thoughts. He was no longer the petulant five-year-old who wanted a puppy, or even a little sister, instead of some horrible baby brother.

Alan was _not_ freezing to death on his watch. Gordon was going to be in enough trouble as it was. After all, it_ was_ him that had wanted to get a closer look at the food that the keepers were feeding the sharks, which led them to the freezer. He'd told the kid to stay at the tank but, of course, Alan hadn't listened. Although he couldn't really blame his little brother for that either since it had been ingrained in Alan that he was to stick close to whatever brother was looking out for him at the time.

_Some looking out for_, Gordon thought bitterly, _my babysitting skills should come with a warning label_. A quirky thought made him chuckle even as he pulled his shivering brother in close and wrapped his arms around the kid to share his body warmth. He could actually blame it on his older brothers. After all, how could they have forgotten how he'd almost drowned Alan when the kid was a baby? How could they have ever trusted him to watch out for the Sprout after that? Okay, sure he wasn't even six at the time, but hey, intent had to count for something, right? His defense firmly in place, Gordon turned to the next task at hand, keeping them from freezing to death until his brothers found them. And find them the older Tracy's would, Gordon had no doubt. Scott's sibling radar was legendary and with John at his back and Virgil very well-versed in Gordon's modus operandi, they would be found. The only questions were when and how many toes would it cost them.

"G-Gordie," Alan shivered violently, "I-I'm c-c-cold."

"S-sorry, Sprout," he stuttered out, starting to feel the cold as well. "I'm c-cold too."

Glancing around one final time, Gordon sighed. _Hurry up, guys._

----

"Where the hell are they?" 21-year-old Scott Tracy growled. "We were only gone for five minutes."

"Actually," his 16-year-old brother Virgil grinned, "more like fifteen. Time must have stopped for you when that blond bent over and-"

"And what?" a loud voice called from behind. They turned to see their brother John walking towards them. He was grinning as he sipped on a large diet Pepsi slurpee. The last one to get served at the concession, he was a few minutes behind his brothers. He glanced around frowning when he noticed they were short a couple of Tracys. "Hey, where are the fish and small fry?"

Virgil grinned but Scott scowled. "Missing. You didn't see them on your way back, did you?"

The blond 18-year-old chuckled, "Yeah, I saw them being tossed into the back of a black van but figured I'd keep my mouth shut and save Dad a fortune in food, alone." He gave his older brother a playful punch, "Relax, boss, they're just looking at the fish. You know Gordon's not going to be leaving here without us prying him off the glass first. That is," John added thoughtfully, "if he hasn't gone skinny dipping in the tank, again. That had been rather embarrassing. I don't think I've seen the staff at Sea World move so fast before…"

Scott paled. "Oh God," he groaned, "Dad'll kill me."

That had both his younger brothers' hooting with laughter. "Don't worry, bro," Virgil consoled. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm sure Alan will still be wearing his pants. Mr. Modesty hasn't shown off his duff since he was three."

"I don't know," John just had to add, "This is the kid who just announced to our father, in front of a room full of people, no less, that he wasn't a virgin anymore because his big brothers loved him so much."

Virgil turned beet red. "Can we just find them?"

"Oh c'mon," John slung an arm around his younger sibling, "I'm sure the press won't make too big a deal about it."

"All I know," the dark haired teen muttered as he tugged at the shoulder strap of his brown leather backpack, "is that I don't think I have ever seen our father speechless before."

Scott seemed to consider that even as his chocolate brown eyes roved the crowds looking for a small blond head and a soon to be dead, red head. Fourteen years of knowing Gordon told him that their copper top was behind this some how. "I have to admit, I think that was a first."

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Virgil tried to defend himself as they headed in the direction of the shark tank, where the youngest boys were supposed to be. "Tell him the truth? Do you really think that was a good time to give Alan 'the talk'?"

Even Scott laughed at that. "I doubt there'll ever be a good time for that."

"Hey," John approached one of the aquarium workers, "you didn't happen to see two kids around here?" When the man gave him an 'are you serious' look, the blond amended, "a redhead teen, about this height," he indicated with his hand, "and a smaller, blond boy wearing a shirt that says '_Property of Scott' _on it?" It had been a gag birthday gift given by Gordon but the younger boy dearly loved it and wore it at almost every opportunity. Scott, although flattered by the attention, couldn't wait until Alan wore the thing out.

The man appeared thoughtful at that and then nodded. "Yeah about fifteen minutes ago, they were watching the handlers feed the sharks. I remember now 'cause the carrot topped kid threatened to toss the other kid in and I was thinking I was gonna have to call security on 'em. But the little one wailed something about somebody named 'Scott'," the man pursed his lips, "probably the guy from the shirt, and everything seemed okay then."

Now it was Scott who blushed although the guy had no way of knowing they were inadvertently talking about him. "Did you see where they went?" he asked, as he once again scoured the crowds for his brothers.

"No, sorry," the guy looked remorseful, "but if I see 'em, I'll tell 'em you're looking for 'em." He eyed Scott carefully, "What's your name again?"

"He never gave it," John butt in, ignoring the threatening look he was getting from his older brother. Not much shorter than Scott and muscularly built himself, the 18-year-old wasn't easily intimidated. Especially by his brother. "It's Scott."

"Scott?" the guy chuckled. Scott just looked mortified. "As in thee Scott, from the shirt?"

"The same one," Virgil promised, trying hard to keep from doubling over in laughter. It wasn't often they got one up on their older sibling. "Want his autograph?"

Scott grabbed Virgil with one hand and John with the other. He steered them away from the chuckling man. "Thank you for your time, sir," he called over his shoulder, "And if you do see them, can you tell them to stay here?"

"Will do," the man promised as he turned back to picking up garbage and then he frowned and looked back around at the departing trio. There was something familiar about them. And then his eyes widened in recognition. He knew who they were, they were billionaire astronaut, Jeff Tracy's, boys. "Holy shit," he gasped, "I gotta get my camera!" The press would pay a fortune for recent pictures of the hero's kids. And if he could help the older ones find the littlest ones, maybe Mr. Tracy himself might thank him.

-----

Gordon was so cold now he was finding it hard to think. He glanced at his watch to see how long they'd been in the freezer but his muddled mind was having trouble making the calculation. It was over an hour though, he was sure.

Sitting on the floor now with Alan in his lap, Gordon tried to keep the younger boy awake but it was getting more and more difficult as the kid was quickly succumbing to the cold.

"H-hey, A-Al," he stuttered giving his brother a little shake. "S-stay 'w-wake."

Alan moved weakly, his shivering was starting to slow and Gordon remembered that as not being a good thing. "S-s-sorry," hot breath whispered against his cold neck. Alan had turned a while ago, burrowing against Gordon as he pressed his chilled cheek against Gordon's throat. "G-G-Gordie?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Wh-why'd ev-everyone l-laugh w-when I s-said I-I wasn't a v-virgin?"

The innocence, mixed with the absurdity of the question made Gordon laugh out cold puffs of air. He roused slightly and it helped clear his head a bit. Somebody really oughta explain it to the kid 'cause it was obviously bothering Alan and it was downright embarrassing. Lord knew who Alan'd be making that announcement too next, even if their father had already warned the kid he wasn't allowed to say anything like that anymore again.

And well, considering that they might be freezing to death pretty soon and he'd hate for his brother to die not knowing the truth, Gordon decided it was up to him to help his little bro out.

"'C-cause, A-Al," he shivered harshly, "W-what Virgil s-said w-wasn't c-c-completely r-right."

Alan moved his head a bit to look at up into his green eyes. "V-V-Virge l-lied to m-m-me?" He looked so sad, Gordon hated himself.

"N-No!" he assured, "he-he j-just d-didn't tell y-you ev-everthing."

"Oh," Alan whispered and then before Gordon could say any thing else, closed his eyes. His thin body went limp.

"Al?" Gordon's body stiffened. He sat up straight and gave his brother a shake. "Alan? N-no, d-don't do-do this. Noooo! Alan!!"

But Alan didn't move.

------

Virgil jogged back towards the shark tank where John and Scott were waiting. They had split up to make for a quicker search, agreeing to meet back here as that was the last known location of their brothers. He hadn't really been worried but now, with Gordon and Alan missing for over an hour, it was getting impossible not to panic.

"No sign?" Virgil asked needlessly as he saw his older brothers waiting for him. Scott was talking to an aquarium official.

"No." All signs of the earlier joviality were gone from John's face now as the blond wore a pinched expression. "Scott's got the aquarium people looking now."

Virgil already knew that, having run into the garbage picker they'd met earlier three times already as the man helped look for the missing boys. Something was nagging at the back of the young artists mind though as he stared into the tank and watched the large sharks slowly swim by. Why would his brothers have left? Gordon was fish crazy, spending most of his waking time either swimming in one of the family's two pools or looking forward to swimming in one of the two pools. The teen had been practically salivating on the way to the aquarium and seemed to have a particular affection for the sharks. So why would he leave? Surely if there had been any trouble, someone would have noticed. Gordon would not have gone quietly and Alan… well Alan was a biter as the family had discovered a couple of years ago when some idiot tried to grab Jeff Tracy's youngest in an attempt to make a quick fortune. The imprint of the little boy's teeth in the man's hand had ended up being the identifying factor in the conviction. So Virgil had no doubts that if someone had tried to grab the boys, every one would have heard.

So if they weren't grabbed then that brought him back to his original question – why did they leave?

…_they were watching the handlers feed the sharks…_

The garbage picker's words washed over him and Virgil's eyes widened in shock. He knew where his brothers were, or at the very least, had a good idea.

"Scott!" he interrupted his brother, grabbing his arm. "I know where they are!" he continued. "They were watching the sharks getting fed. How much do you want to bet that Gordon wanted to know what they were being fed?"

Comprehension lit Scott's eyes even as John started to nod. The oldest Tracy immediately turned to the aquarium official. "Where are your freezers?" he demanded.

------

Gordon couldn't stay awake any longer. It was too hard. Alan was a dead weight in his arms, and the teen had given up trying to wake him up. Sleeping would be much easier.

_I'm sorry,_ he thought, as his green eyes slowly closed. _I really only wanted to see what they ate…_

And then suddenly there was loud clattering –

He heard voices –

They were so far away.

And then somebody tried to take Alan from him and Gordon fought with what little strength he had. It had to be death. Death was here but it wasn't getting Alan without a fight. He tried to hold on, but his fingers were numb and his muscles wobbly.

"N-no," he rasped as the weight was lifted away. A hot tear scaled his frozen face. _Not my little brother_, he started to sob, the words ghosting over his blue lips with no volume, _don't take him away_. And then darkness sucked at him and he followed his brother down.

------

Scott was terrified. It was something he would never forget. Finding Alan and Gordon like that.

"Oh my God," he breathed out as he rushed into the freezer and then stopped. At his feet lay his brothers, their bodies tangled up in a mess of arms and legs, their skin pasty white, their lips, eyelids and tips of fingers dark blue, and he thought they were dead. He was positive until he saw Gordon move. It was slight though, he might have been wrong –

And then Virgil shoved past him, his knees hitting the freezer floor with an audible crack as he quickly pressed shaking fingers against Gordon's throat "Gordon?" he called, his voice obscenely calm. "Gordo, c'mon, bro, don't do this, don't you dare do this."

"Virgil?" John stood beside Scott, as seemingly dumbstruck as his older brother and then Virgil looked up at them, his face suspiciously bright.

"He's alive. Gordon's alive!" Scott immediately yanked his shirt off over his head as Virgil started to check Alan. John followed suit, both wishing they had jackets they could offer as the aquarium guy shouted to someone to bring blankets, lots of blankets. But the body-warmed shirts would be a start.

Scott's mind went through hypothermia protocol even as he counted down the precious seconds it was taking Virgil to check on Alan. "C'mon, Sprout," he murmured as he crouched down and carefully worked his shirt around Gordon, his warm hand resting for a moment against the red-head's frigid face, taking a moment to thank God.

"Virgil?" John pressed, his own shirt waiting for the youngest Tracy.

After forever, Virgil finally looked up at them. "I d-dunno," he stammered, "I can't find a pulse. He's too cold."

Scott felt as if the air was sucked out of the room. "Damnit," he whispered but knowing there was no time for this, Gordon wasn't out of danger yet. He began to gently try to pull Alan away, but Gordon protested. The 14-year-old mumbled incoherently and tried to keep them from moving his brother and Scott felt every protest like a stab through his heart, but he persisted, gently passing Alan to John as he then carefully scooped Gordon up and pulled him close to his bare chest. Body heat was the best way to start warming the boy up. He glanced at John noting that he was doing the same thing and Scott felt something give in his chest. They both knew, as well as Virgil, that in a severe hypothermia case, it was possible for the victim to be alive, even if their pulse was so sluggish it couldn't be felt. Tipping his head towards the open freezer door, Scott let John go first. They needed to get the boys out of the freezer and out of the freezer now.

A flurry of footsteps brought two more employees, blankets and the promise that 911 had been called. Tight-faced, Scott nodded his thanks as Virgil helped him wrap a blanket around him and Gordon and then around John and Alan. He glanced at his youngest brother as Virgil checked for a pulse again but the dark haired teen shook his head, and continued to hover as John and Scott brought them out into the light.

"Dear God," Scott whispered as the sound of screaming sirens filled the afternoon. "Please let them be okay."

Standing next to him, one hand on each little brother, Virgil turned a serious face on him. "Scott," he started softly, "we need to call Dad."

And then, because this day apparently just could not get any worse, some one yelled out, "Mr. Tracy!" and a camera flashed in his face. Shifting slightly to shield Gordon, Scott cursed.

Shit. The press was here.

------

Jeff Tracy sat behind a large desk and rubbed his eyes. This day had been incredibly long and he was exhausted and couldn't wait to meet up with his boys for supper and call it a day. Leaning back in the chair, his gaze fell on a recent photo of his sons. He smiled and picked it up. _Lucy would be so proud of us_, he thought as he looked at his children one at a time. He could see a piece of his deceased wife in her every offering.

Scott had her fierce protective spirit and her stead-fast loyalty to her family, with a startlingly accurate intuition when it came to his younger brothers. John had her gentler more even-tempered side, the one that allowed him to be the voice of reason when everyone else was yelling. And Virgil, his quiet middle child inherited her deep appreciation for the arts, along with Lucy's inquisitive mind and love of books. He smiled as he thought of how many times the teen had fallen asleep with his face in a book.

He turned to the younger boys, her last gifts and his smile deepened. Oh what a pair they were. Gordon loved the water with an intensity that had made Lucy brag that a merman was his father. He had his mother's sharp wit and wonderful sense of humor that brightened Jeff's heart on many a dismal day. And after he'd finally accepted Alan and stopped trying to get rid of the new baby, Gordon had become every much the stalwart little protector Lucy had assured Jeff he would be.

Which brought his thoughts to Alan and he started to chuckle.

"_Daddy," the child's voice was ripe with excitement. "Guess what? Guess what!"_

_Jeff turned from the lecture podium and frowned. Alan knew better than to interrupt but apparently his little spirited last born had something he needed to tell his father right now. Excusing himself to a chuckling crowd, Jeff caught the blond haired missile as the child leaped towards him. "What's wrong, small fry?" he asked, glancing briefly up as his other son[']s arrived. Virgil looked a bit odd but before he could pursue that further Alan was prattling on excitedly and loudly._

"_Daddy! Daddy! MeandVirgilmeetsomeguysintheparkandtheywerecallingVirgilnamesandItoldthemitwasn'tniceandthenIaskedVirgilwhattheywerecallinghimmeantandhetoldmeandItoldthoseguysthatVirgilwasn'tonebecausehelovedmeandthenScottshowedupandrescuedus!" _

_Jeff just stared at his child as a now out of breath Alan beamed up at him. He hadn't understood one word after 'Daddy! Daddy!' He was sure it was something about Virgil but when he turned to his middle son to translate Alan summed it all up in one sentence,_

"_And I'm not a virgin either because I have four big brothers who love me every day!"_

_For one long moment, there had been silence and then as Jeff stared at his son in confused horror, the whole room burst out laughing. _

Jeff doubled over laughing now, fat tears running down his face. It had been very embarrassing at the time but looking back, the former astronaut could only howl in laughter, even funnier when he remembered the horrified looks on his sons' faces. Well except Gordon, Gordon had been laughing just as hard.

"Oh Lucy," he chortled, "where in the world did we ever get him?"

And then his receptionist buzzed in and told him Scott was on the line.

------

"How are they?" Jeff barked as he rushed into the Emergency room, pleased that the police were keeping the press outside because if he heard one more shouted _"Just a few words, Mr. Tracy?"_ he was going to pop someone in the nose. And that was putting it nicely.

"We don't know yet," Scott spoke as he moved away from his brothers and met his father halfway across the room. Jeff did a double take when he realized his two oldest were shirtless, with hospital towels draped over their shoulders. He'd be asking about that later. John and Virgil were sitting together, both looking pale and miserable. Jeff knew from the flush on his oldest son's face that Scott was too restless to sit and had been pacing. The 21-year-old glared accusingly at the nurses' desk, "They won't tell us anything."

"They can't tell you what they don't know," John's voice sounded wearied. He'd probably been trying to keep his older brother from storming the desk since getting there.

"It'll take a while to get their core temps up," Virgil offered. A curious mind, he'd recently taken an interest in medicine and was the official 'booboo kisser'. Well, according to Alan who thought his dark haired sibling was the best fixer-upper in the whole world. Or at least on Tracy Island. "Gordon was responsive but Alan-" before he could say anything else, the double doors opened and a large white haired man wearing a doctor's smock strode towards them.

"Dr. Wallingham," he introduced himself, sticking his hand out, "Jeff Tracy, I presume?"

Jeff shook the beefy hand and nodded, not phased by the recognition. He indicated the three young men standing behind him now. "And these are my other sons. Any word on Gordon and Alan?"

At that the man beamed and nodded. "Good news. Young Gordon is awake and giving my staff a run for their money." When the Tracys gave him a quizzical look, he continued. "Seems he's very adamant on getting out of here. He wants, and I quote, 'a warm sweater and a head start'. Apparently, he's concerned about fallout from this whole mess. Something about his brother Scott ripping him a new one?" All eyes turned towards Scott who stood there gaping for a moment before sighing and scrubbing a hand down over his face.

"Fine, tell him if he promises to behave, I won't kill him."

The doctor actually looked relieved. "Good," he nodded.

"And Alan?" John pressed, his blue eyes anxiously searching the man's face.

"Young Alan will also be fine," he assured them with a kind smile. "I will admit he gave us quite a scare-"

"He gave you quite a scare?" Virgil muttered under his breath, "I couldn't find his pulse. I thought he was dead." Jeff grabbed his son's arm and pulled him close feeling the slight trembling in the 16-year-old's body. He knew it had to be terrifying for them. John and Scott instinctively pressed closer, offering their own form of support.

"Yes, well," the doctor assured them, "it is sometimes difficult to find a pulse by touch alone when someone's body is as cold as Alan's was, however let me reassure you that he has been responding very well to treatment and even regained consciousness long enough to tell me his doctor's name is Virgil."

Now it was Virgil's turn to blush as he squirmed next to Jeff.

"See," John grinned as he poked his younger brother, "Sprout doesn't think you're useless, after all." That got him a glare and a half-hearted swipe. Jeff ignored them.

"Can we see them?" he demanded instead.

"Certainly," the doctor nodded. "They're being moved into a double room as we speak. I thought that it would make it easier for your family if they were in one room." Jeff was touched by the man's consideration. "I wanted them admitted overnight for observation but barring any complications, and as long as they continue to improve, I'll be willing to release them sometime tomorrow afternoon."

"Thank you, doctor," Jeff offered graciously as he shook the man's hand again. "We appreciate everything you've done."

"My pleasure, Mr. Tracy, now if you and your sons would just follow me…" and they did as he led them down a long corridor and towards his sons' room.

------

Virgil stood between his brothers' beds and stared down at the two quiet faces. His father and Scott had gone to find them something to eat while John had offered to call the island and update Brains on what had happened, leaving the dark haired teen to watch over Gordon and Alan.

So far, except for brief twitching from Alan and soft snoring from Gordon, neither boy had awakened and they both looked so peaceful, Virgil couldn't help but smile. He was filled with an almost overwhelming surge of protectiveness at the realization of how close they had come to losing them both, and even now, although he was responding to the treatment, Alan still wasn't as far along in his recovery yet as Gordon. Being smaller and having less body mass, the 9-year-old had succumbed more quickly to the effects of the cold.

Virgil swung between being angry at the two idiots for getting themselves locked in the freezer to begin with, and a new found respect for just what gifts all his brothers were. And with that realization came inspiration, and his hands were moving of their own volition, grabbing his backpack and pulling his sketch pad out. He knew exactly what he was going to draw for John as his birthday present. He was going to give his brother the gift of family, a portrait of the five faces that made them more than brothers. That made them friends.

So pulling a chair up between the two beds, and confident Brains was going to keep John on the phone demanding details much longer than the blond young man had originally intended when he left, Virgil began to sketch.

The End

_A/N - my original one-shot has turned into a trilogy. The third part, tentatively called "Head in the Clouds" is in process and will be posted shortly. It is going to be a mult-chapter fic._


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